Author: Lauren Tabbacchino, Coordinator for Commuter Engagement, Off-Campus Student Services
Getting to campus can be challenging at times, but did you know your student has alternative options to driving? Off-Campus Students Services (OCSS) can help students join carpools to save on the expense of gas and tolls, and to have someone to share the ride with. Getting connected with other students is easy with our myUMBC Casual Carpooling group: http://my.umbc.edu/groups/casualcarpooling. To access the group, students login with their myUMBC account credentials. Then, they can join one of the Discussions, categorized by the town the student commutes from. Students who live near to campus or who commute from Baltimore City can take advantage of the free UMBC Transit shuttles. The complete list of shuttle lines and schedules is available online: http://www.umbc.edu/transit/, or tell your student to stop by our office, and we can help with navigating the route. Public transportation is available to students living near and far. Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) buses stop at several locations around campus. Students can purchase discounted monthly bus passes in our office. A complete list of bus lines is available online http://mta.maryland.gov/.
Now that your student has multiple ways to commute back and forth to campus, he or she will feel more comfortable staying after class to get involved on campus! In addition to the multitude of programs offered by Student Life, OCSS offers commuters a special line of social programs called Commuter Connections. These once-monthly events are held during free hour on Fridays. We also host a commuter breakfast every Tuesday morning. Good Morning Commuters, or GMC as it’s more commonly known, is held in the Commons on Main Street from 8:30am-10am. Breakfast is free for students who have a Commuter Gold Card. Students can purchase their Commuter Gold Cards for just $5 at any Tuesday breakfast. For more information about these and all of our upcoming events, visit http://my.umbc.edu/groups/ocss.